Does a comma precede "or"? You will find the answer to the question posed in the materials of this article. In addition, you will learn about whether or not to put commas before "what" and "how".
General information
Surely you know that the official part of speech is called the union. Thanks to it, a connection is made between individual sentences in the text, its parts or words. However, not everyone knows when a comma is placed in front of them, and when not. In order to master this information, we present to your attention a few basic rules.
When is there a comma before "or" and when not?
The union "or" is a divisive conjunction. Sometimes it is preceded by a comma, and sometimes not. Let's look at both cases in more detail:
- A comma is placed before “or” if the union is repeated several times in simple sentences that are combined into one complex one. Let's give an example: "Either he or I!", "Either black, or white, or red", "Either the disease will kill me, or the frost will stiffen, or something will fly into the forehead." It should also be noted that this rule does not only apply to sentences with "either … or". commasare also put with such unions as “and”, “il”, “neither”, etc. For example: “And my head is spinning, and I feel sick, and my body hurts a lot”, “I can’t see the sun, neither clouds, nor daylight "".
- A comma is placed before “or” if this union is used in a complex sentence where 2 or more simple sentences are connected. Let's give an example: "Either you are tired because of the storm outside the window, or you are dozing from daytime fatigue", "Let her move to the village, or I will move here." It should also be noted that such unions as “and”, “yes”, “a”, “yes and”, “either”, etc. are subject to a similar rule. For example: “The sea was noisy, and the waves beat strongly against the shore”, “The woodpecker stopped knocking, and the other birds fell silent”, “Mom sat down on the bench outside the gate, and I went to the store.”
- A comma before the union "or" is not put if the sentences connected with it have a common secondary member or a subordinate clause. Let's give an example: "Every day a catamaran departed from the pier or a boat sailed." The unions “and”, “yes”, “or” obey the same rule. For example: “Cars were moving along the streets and trucks were racing.”
- A comma is not used if this union is used to connect homogeneous members of a sentence that mutually exclude each other. For example: "Today or tomorrow", "Does she see it or not?".
Now you know when to put a comma before "or" and when not. The presented rules will help you correctly compose a letter or any text.
Other alliances
It should be especiallyIt should be noted that problems with punctuation arise not only when using the union “or”, but also when using the words “what” and “how”. Let's consider these cases in more detail.
When should you not put a comma before "what"?
- No comma before or after "what" when used in the expression "only and…what" followed by a pronoun or noun. Let us give an example: “Only entertainment that a concert once a month”, “Only money and a quarter in your pocket”, “Only and only a shirt on the body”, “Only talk about him alone”, “Only the light that is in this window.”
- This word should not be preceded by a comma in those cases when it is part of the indecomposable sentences "by all means", "hell knows what", etc. By the way, in the expression "besides that" the comma also not needed.
- There is no need to put a comma before such a word, if it is not a subordinating conjunction, which is in a complex sentence, but is, for example, a comparative particle. (“The sky above is like an endless ocean”).
- If this word is part of a compound, then it also does not need to be preceded by a comma. For example: “Due to heavy rains, the pine forest is full of mushrooms.”
- Comma is not used if the given word acts as an interrogative pronoun. For example: “What should I cook for dinner?”, “What should I do if he didn’t come on a date?”
When the commaput?
- If in the first part of the sentence there is a complex particle “only and”, the verb “know”, “do”, “do” and the union “what”, and in the second part any verb is necessarily present, then before “what” a comma should be included. Let's give an example: “From five in the morning until the evening, all you know is that you are sitting here”, “The only thing they did with their grandmother was baking pies.”
- A comma before "what" must be placed if the second part of the expression is a subordinate clause of a complex sentence. Let's give an example: “The only new thing is that the brothers are conferring how to fill up the bear”, “Early in the morning it was felt that the sun would come out very soon.”
- A comma is placed if "what" acts as a particle. Let's give an example: “What, do you have this every week?”, “What, do you always dress like that?”
When should I put a comma before "how"?
Comma before "how" in 3 cases:
- If this union is included in expressions that are close in their role to introductory words: as a rule, as a consequence, as an exception, as now, as always, as now, as on purpose, as for example. Here is an example: “In the evening, as if on purpose, a blizzard began”, “This, as a rule, does not happen very often”, “He, as always, was late for a meeting.”
- If all parts of a complex sentence are connected by this conjunction. Here is an example: “We watched the water flow for a long time”, “They watched the embers smolder in the fire for a long time.”
- If in a sentencethere is a circumstance that is expressed by a comparative turnover starting with this union. Let's give an example: "The voice of the boy rang like a bell", "The girl sang like a nightingale".
Important to remember
If any offer continues even after the turnover with this union, then it should definitely be isolated. For example: “He watched the water flow for a long time, unable to tear himself away from such a sight.”
When should you not use a comma?
Sentences with such an alliance are not separated by commas in 5 cases:
- If this union is used in circulation as a circumstance of the course of action. Let's give an example: "The path writhed like a snake." In such cases, the turnover can be easily replaced by a similar adverb (in a snake way) or by a noun in the instrumental case (snake). It should be noted that it is not always possible to distinguish the circumstances of the course of action with complete certainty from the circumstance of comparison. This causes quite a few errors.
- If the turnover with such a word is included in the idiom. For example: “During dinner, she sat on pins and needles.”
- If this union is between the predicate and the subject, and without it it would be required to put a dash. Let's give an example: "The lake is like a mirror."
- If such a word is part of the main member of the sentence (predicate), and the sentence itself without this turnover does not have a complete meaning. Let's give an example: "He carries himself like a master."
- If the comparative turnover hasthe previous negation of "not" or one of the particles: simply, completely, almost, completely, sort of, exactly, exactly. For example: “They do everything differently”, “His hair curls exactly like his father.”
Important to remember
The presented word can be used as a compound union "like … so", "since" and revolutions "since", "since", etc. In these cases, the comma should not be put. Here are examples: “All the windows in the palace and in ordinary houses are open”, “He did not take food with him and now he regretted it very much, since he already wanted to eat.”
